System and Method for Touchscreen Combination Lock

1. A computer-implemented method for providing conditional access to data, the method being performed by a computing device and comprising: capturing a gateway combination entered by user manipulating a user interface displayed on a touchscreen, the user interface comprising a mechanical combination lock simulation including one or more simulated rotating elements, each simulated rotating element having one or more selectable positions spaced apart about a geometry of the rotating element and comprising respective data; interpreting alignment of a touchpath resulting from a dragging or sliding action upon the touchscreen relative to a rotational plane of a simulated rotating element; determining the touchpath is misaligned relative to the rotational plane; resolving the misaligned touchpath based at least in part upon a component of the misaligned touchpath in alignment with the rotational plane; executing a comparison of the entered gateway combination including gateway combination data determined based at least in part upon resolving the misaligned touchpath with at least one value stored upon a storage device of the computing device; and determining whether to grant access to further information based at least in part upon the comparison.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting how the mechanical combination lock simulation is displayed on the touchscreen based at least in part upon the misaligned touchpath.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , the mechanical combination lock simulation being reoriented such that the mechanical combination lock simulation is displayed as skewed relative to an axis about which the one or more simulated rotating elements initially rotated.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , the mechanical combination lock simulation being reoriented such that the mechanical combination lock simulation is displayed as skewed relative to a body of the computing device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 being performed by a computing device of a mobile communication device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 being performed while the mobile communication device is held within a single hand of the user, the touchpath resulting from dragging or sliding of the user's thumb along the touchscreen.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the mechanical combination lock simulation comprises a concentric ring combination lock simulation or a barrel combination lock simulation.

8. A computer-implemented method for providing conditional access to data, the method being performed by a computing device and comprising: receiving first touchscreen input from a user of the computing device to select or program at least one of a quantity and a geometry of simulated rotating elements of a mechanical combination lock simulation including one or more simulated rotating elements, each simulated rotating element having one or more selectable positions spaced apart about a geometry of the rotating element and comprising respective data; generating a user interface displayed in a first orientation and comprising the mechanical combination lock simulation based at least in part upon the at least one of the selected or programmed quantity and geometry of simulated rotating elements; receiving second touchscreen input from the user; reorienting the mechanical combination lock simulation as displayed on the touchscreen from the first orientation to a different, second orientation in response to the second touchscreen input such that the mechanical lock simulation is displayed on the touchscreen in the second orientation as skewed relative to a body of the computing device, the user interface being displayed to and operable by the user in the first and second orientations by engaging the touchscreen to manipulate the user interface and enter a gateway combination comprising respective data of respective simulated rotating elements; performing a comparison of the gateway combination data with at least one value stored upon a storage device of the computing device; and determining whether to grant access to data based at least in part upon the comparison.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , the mechanical combination simulation being reoriented such that the mechanical combination lock simulation is displayed on the touchscreen as skewed relative to an axis about which the one or more simulated rotating elements initially rotated in the first orientation.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , the mechanical combination lock simulation being reoriented based at least in part upon the second touchscreen input at a first touchscreen location that differs from a second touchscreen location of the mechanical combination lock simulation.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , the mechanical combination lock simulation being reoriented based at least in part upon the second touchscreen input comprising the user selecting a touchscreen button requesting reorientation of the mechanical lock simulation.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , the mechanical combination lock simulation being reoriented based at least in part upon the second touchscreen input comprising the user dragging and rotating the mechanical lock simulation to the second orientation.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , the processor being configured to reorient the mechanical combination lock simulation based at least in part upon the second touchscreen input comprising the user selecting a touchscreen button requesting reorientation of the mechanical lock simulation and then dragging and rotating the mechanical lock simulation to the second orientation.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , each simulated rotating element being operable as a multi-sided rotatable member having respective positions.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , the first touchscreen input selecting or programming the geometry comprising a cross-sectional shape of a simulated rotating element.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , the first touchscreen input selecting or programming the quantity of simulated rotating elements.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 being performed by a computing device of a mobile communication device.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 being performed while the mobile communication device is held within a single hand of the user.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 , the second orientation addressing ergonomic factors of the mobile communication device.

20. A computer-implemented method for providing conditional access to data, the method being performed by a computing device and comprising: receiving first touchscreen input from a user of the computing device to select or program: a quantity of simulated rotating elements of a mechanical combination lock simulation, and a geometry of the simulated rotating elements, each simulating rotating element having one or more selectable positions spaced apart about a geometry of the rotating element; generating a user interface displayed in a first orientation and comprising the mechanical combination lock simulation based at least in part upon the selected or programmed quantity and the geometry of simulated rotating elements; receiving second touchscreen input from the user; reorienting the mechanical combination lock simulation as displayed on the touchscreen from the first orientation to a different, second orientation in response to the second touchscreen input such that the mechanical combination lock simulation is displayed on the touchscreen in the second orientation as skewed relative to a body of the computing device, the user interface being displayed to and operated by the user in the first and second orientations by engaging the touchscreen to manipulate the user interface and enter a gateway combination comprising respective data of respective simulated rotating elements; performing a comparison of the entered gateway combination data with at least one value stored upon a storage device; and determining whether to grant access to data based at least in part upon the comparison.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20 , the first touchscreen input further selecting or programming which types of items, variables or values will occupy fields defined by respective positions of the simulated rotating elements.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 20 , the first touchscreen input selecting or programming the geometry comprising a cross-sectional shape of a simulated rotating element.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22 , the cross-sectional shape being selected from cross-sectional shapes varying from a polygon to a smooth arcuate surface.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 20 , each simulated rotating element being operable as a multi-sided rotatable member having respective positions defining respective fields.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 24 , the first touchscreen input further selecting or programming a number of positions.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 24 , the first touchscreen input further selecting or programming a type of item, variable or value that occupies respective fields.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 26 , the first touchscreen input further selecting or programming which particular item, variable or value is to be coded onto a field of a particular rotatable member.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 20 being performed by a computing device of a mobile communication device.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 28 being performed while the mobile communication device is held within a single hand of the user.

30. A computer-implemented method for providing conditional access to data, the method being performed by a computing device and comprising: receiving first touchscreen input from a user of the computing device to select or program at least one of: a quantity of simulated rotating elements of a mechanical combination lock simulation, and a geometry of the simulated rotating elements, each simulating rotating element having one or more selectable positions spaced apart about a geometry of the rotating element; generating a user interface displayed in a first orientation and comprising the mechanical combination lock simulation based at least in part upon the at least one of the selected or programmed quantity and the geometry of simulated rotating elements, the user interface being operable by the user to enter a first portion of a gateway combination comprising data of at least one currently displayed simulated rotating element; receiving second touchscreen input from the user, the second touchscreen input comprising a dragging or sliding action upon the touchscreen along at least a portion of the displayed mechanical lock simulation; interpreting a touchpath resulting from the dragging or sliding action; displaying at least one additional rotating element that was not initially displayed in response to the dragging or sliding action, the user interface being operable by the user engaging the touchscreen to further manipulate the user interface and enter a second portion of the gateway combination comprising data of at least one simulated rotating element that was not initially displayed; receiving third touchscreen input from the user; reorienting the mechanical combination lock simulation as displayed on the touchscreen from the first orientation to a different, second orientation in response to the third touchscreen input such that the mechanical combination lock simulation is displayed on the touchscreen in the second orientation as skewed relative to a body of the computing device, the mechanical combination lock simulation being displayed in the second orientation during entry of at least one of the first and second portions of the gateway combination data; performing a comparison of the entered gateway combination data comprising the first and second portions with at least one value stored upon a storage device; and determining whether to grant access to data based at least in part upon the comparison.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 30 being performed by a computing device of a mobile communication device.

32. The computer-implemented method of claim 31 being performed while the mobile communication device is held within a single hand of the user, the touchpath resulting from dragging or sliding of the user's thumb along the touchscreen.

33. The computer-implemented method of claim 30 , the first touchscreen input selecting or programming the quantity and the geometry of the simulated rotating elements.